


making omelettes

by Adaris



Series: good eggs [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clone Rights, Codywan Typical Snarking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Deaf Character, Family Fluff, Fluff, Happy Ending, IN MY FLUFF FIC?, Kisses for everyone!, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Order 66, Politics, Shapeshifting, Sign Language, The Clones are dragons, big dad energy, but cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26666188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adaris/pseuds/Adaris
Summary: Final installment in my completely unplanned series inspired by wanderingjedihistorian/RangerJedi67. Whew!The Clone Wars are brought to an unceremonious end by Wooley's cuteness and Tup and Cody's senses of smell. Plus, Wooley visits the battlefield, Anakin forgets he has a prosthetic arm, VOX?!, clone rights, flying lessons, and rompin' around in the snow.
Relationships: Background CC-1010 Fox/Quinlan Vos, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala/CT-7567 | Rex/Anakin Skywalker
Series: good eggs [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928395
Comments: 24
Kudos: 347





	making omelettes

**Author's Note:**

> See character death spoilers at the bottom! Don't worry it's nobody we care about
> 
> Did not edit this, 90% of the scenes are just me rambling. Apologies for any errors, just wanted to post this now or I won't be able to until next week sfhfhsdkf

“You idiot,” Cody snaps. “You absolute complete karking _fool_. You do NOT jump out of a moving spaceship to ‘get the drop’ on a clanker ambush. It’s an ambush! They know you’re coming! And it’s noble of you to not want to endanger our lives, but we’re supposed to be a kriffing team. The least you could do is act like it.” 

“I’m sorry, Cody, but I did technically get the drop—” 

“What the flying sith hells would I say to Wooley if you didn’t come back? What would I do if you didn’t come back?” Cody shakes his head. He sits down next to Obi-Wan, taking his uninjured hand and lacing their fingers together. “Don’t do that again.” 

Obi-Wan sighs and presses the back of Cody’s hand to his lips. “I won’t. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” 

“Evidently not.” Cody fusses with Obi-Wan’s hair, which refuses to play nice. 

“They need you out there,” Obi-Wan reminds him gently. 

“You need me in here,” Cody mutters. “Broke a collarbone and got shot three times, what am I going to do with you, General Kenobi?” 

“I don’t know, Commander Fett, what are you going to do?” 

“Okay, enough flirting, outta my medbay,” Vess snaps, sticking his head into the tent just long enough to scold. 

Obi-Wan kisses Cody’s hand again. “You heard the man. Stay safe.” 

“Yes, sir,” Cody grumbles. “And don’t even _think_ about moving.” 

“No, sir,” Obi-Wan replies cheekily. 

Cody huffs and shoves his helmet back on, disappearing back outside. 

Obi-Wan leans back in his bed with a sigh. He winces as his left shoulder moves a fraction too much—he probably won’t be able to sleep anytime soon, but he closes his eyes and tries to meditate. Yoda’s words about doing, not trying echo in his head, but there’s a _scuffling_ , and that combined with the noise from outside and the throbbing in his shoulder and chest and stomach means he can’t concentrate properly. 

After a few minutes, something crashes in the room, and Obi-Wan opens his eyes with a groan. Then he gasps in disbelief. There’s a familiar pale blue form sitting in the middle of the room, shaking his head, surrounded by fallen medical supplies. 

“Wooley!” Obi-Wan tries to struggle to his feet, but he can’t. “Wooley, over here!” 

Unfortunately, the small dragon can’t hear him, and he stands up and shakes all his scales, padding back towards the closet. Wooley tries to scramble back in, but he slips and thumps to the ground. He hisses at the pile, skittering towards the door, which leads outside, _into a war zone_. 

“No! No, nonono.” Obi-Wan sits up and stifles a groan of pain. “Wooley!” 

The dragon peeks out of the tent, and Obi-Wan grabs onto him with the Force, tugging him back inside. Wooley squawks in displeasure, legs wiggling aimlessly the air. 

“Don’t do that, little one.” Obi-Wan sets the dragon down beside his bed, even that slight effort leaving him exhausted. 

Wooley peeps when he sees Obi-Wan, clambering up onto the bed with him. He brushes up against Obi-Wan’s legs, his scales smooth and warm as stained glass. 

“It’s not safe for you out there, okay?” Obi-Wan says. Usually he’d sign as he talked if Wooley didn’t have his hearing aid in, but with one arm held immobile, it’s a bit difficult. He pats Wooley’s side, and the dragon rumbles quietly. 

Wooley shifts into human form. Someone, probably Waxer, has dressed him up in a pair of dark blue corduroy overalls with little stars sewn on. He tilts his head, trying to read Obi-Wan’s lips. 

Obi-Wan pats Wooley’s overalls until he finds the hearing aid, and Wooley puts it in begrudgingly. “It’s not safe for you here,” Obi-Wan repeats once he’s sure Wooley can hear him. “You should have stayed on the ship.” 

“But I wanna help you!” 

“And that’s very noble, dear one.” Obi-Wan reaches out, but he can’t quite touch Wooley’s shoulder. “But we have to trust _Buir_ , that he will come back to us.” 

Wooley whimpers, and he cuddles into Obi-Wan’s good side. “I wanna see him _now_.” 

“I know, so do I,” Obi-Wan sighs, petting Wooley’s hair. “So do I.” 

“What if they hurt him?” Wooley’s mismatched eyes water, and tears that roll down his face. 

Obi-Wan’s chest aches, and he kisses Wooley’s forehead, wiping away his tears with a gentle hand. “That’s where the trust comes in. He’s always made it back before, and he always will.” _One way or another._

Wooley snuggles into Obi-Wan with a sniffle. “Promise?” 

“I promise,” Obi-Wan says, praying it’s not a lie. 

— 

“I’m sorry, there are _children_ living with _the army_ and you didn’t _tell me?_ ” Padmé practically shouts. “And one of them is _yours_?” 

Anakin shrinks back a bit. “Er. You know how we said while I’m uh, on campaign, that we can absolutely see other people? I’ve been seeing Rex, and we kind of wanted to keep that quiet.” 

She huffs impatiently. “Neither of you can get pregnant, so where did the baby come from?” 

“Well, you know, it’s kind of—it was—look, Obi-Wan did it too!” he protests. 

She fixes him with her Serious Senator Stare, known to make even the most stubborn delegates crack. 

“Long story short, Rex started nesting, because we’re uh, partners. And he pretty much needed to incubate an egg, and when it hatched…” Anakin grabs Tup and holds him in front of the comm. “Baby!” 

Tup is content to hang there like a sack of potatoes, his little tail curling around Anakin’s arm. He’s small for his age, from what Rex has said, only about forty pounds. Instead of spikes, ridges, or frills along his back and legs, he has a mane of thick, fluffy black fur. A few locks flop down into his face as he dangles from Anakin’s hands. 

“Anakin! Is he okay like that?” Padmé forgets she’s a hologram and tries to grab Tup. 

“Oh, yeah, Rex said this was fine,” Anakin says reassuringly, but he does shift his grip so Tup is cuddled against his chest. “And we can’t send him back to—” he glances down at Tup and whispers, “K-A-M-I-N-O. He’s terrified we’re going to abandon him there, ever since it got mentioned.” 

Tup coos under his breath, nuzzling Anakin’s shoulder lovingly. 

Padmé pauses for a moment to murmur to him, and Tup drinks in the attention, purring in Anakin’s arms. When she blows a kiss to him, he chirps happily. “Aw, cutie. He’s all over the holonet right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if other people start asking questions. Ani, I can’t believe you took him into a battle! He’s so small!” 

“Hey, the ship was attacked! We keep him as far away from danger as humanly or dragonly possible, thank you very much.” 

She sighs. “Okay, okay, that’s fair. So are there more like him on Kamino? This cute and cuddly?” 

“Uh, yeah. Hundreds of thousands. Although you’ve seen Rex, they grow up to be damn huge.” 

“Wow. And how many are with the GAR right now?” 

Anakin frowns down at Tup, who looks back at him with innocent violet eyes. “There’s our guy, and then Wooley with the 212th. And Bly and Aayla’s. I think Wolffe has like, three by now. And Quinlan and Fox have a baby too.” 

“Quinlan and F—” Padmé’s forehead wrinkles in concern. “Fox practically lives in his office, and Quinlan is a Shadow. How are they raising a child? How did they even meet?” 

“No clue. I think the kid stays with Bly and Aayla, something about Fox’s office being ‘too close to the scary wrinkle man’.” 

Padmé smiles despite herself, then frowns again. “That’s still not an optimal situation for a baby.” She leans back in her chair, tugging on a piece of hair. “Let alone seven.” 

“What are you thinking?” 

The way she’s smiling feels dangerous. Purposeful. “Oh, don’t mind me, Ani. Talk to you later. Bye!” 

— 

“Okay, but are you _sure_ you can handle him?” Rex asks for the twentieth time. 

“Yeah, Rex, geez. Go on your inspection tour with Cody. Obi-Wan is just a ship away.” 

“You’re right, this is fine. This is fine. Just remember that when you’re reading stories to Tup and Wooley, you have to angle the book so they can follow along, even if they don’t necessarily know how to read—” 

“I know, I know,” Anakin reassures, patting Rex’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about a thing.” 

Rex sighs, wringing his gloves. “Bye, Tup _’ika_ , I’ll miss you,” he says as he kisses the top of Tup’s head. 

“Hey, no kisses for me?” Anakin asks, and Rex smacks his chest with a glove. 

“Not anymore.” Rex smiles, kissing Tup’s head again. 

The dragonet chirps and purrs at the attention, but his happiness sours when Rex walks away. His tail lashes, and his lilac wings half-extend, fluttering like he wants to fly after Rex. 

“Hey, buddy, it’s okay,” Anakin tries to reassure him, bouncing the small dragon in his arms. 

Tup cries, loud and piercing, and Rex stops in his tracks, hands curling into fists. Then he keeps walking, and Anakin cuddles Tup to his chest. 

“ _Buir_ will be back before you know it,” Anakin promises. “We’re going to have fun together, though!” 

Tup looks up at Anakin, violet eyes watering, and then he buries his face in Anakin’s chest. At least he’s not crying anymore. His little tail curls around Anakin’s wrist, his claws digging into Anakin’s robes. 

“Okay, maybe a nap first, huh, buddy?” He carries Tup back inside the _Resolute_. 

“How’s he holding up?” Fives asks, coming up beside Anakin. 

Tup snuffles and holds out one paw to Fives, patting his hand, then snuggles up against Anakin again. 

“Oh, uh, just fine. Needs a nap.” 

“That makes sense. Later, everyone,” Fives says as he shoos away the assembled troopers. “Rex hogs his attention, and now that he’s gone… you know.” 

Anakin laughs quietly. “I’m sure he’ll need the distraction after naptime. Right, Tup?” 

Tup gives a halfhearted chirp and nips at Anakin’s hand. 

“See you in an hour, Fives.” Anakin returns to the quarters that he no longer secretly shares with Rex and puts Tup into his crib, which he’s almost too big for. Then he turns the lights down and settles in for a peaceful hour where he’s not being shot at. 

But Tup doesn’t want a nap anymore. 

And it’s kinda hard to put a baby that can jump and _fly_ out of his crib down for a nap he doesn’t want. 

“Please go to sleep, kiddo,” Anakin practically begs, but Tup flutters his wings and flicks his tail like he’s about to jump out of the crib again. 

After a moment, he shifts into human form instead and insists, “Play!” 

Anakin groans, thinking about exactly how cranky Tup will be in a few hours after missing his nap. “Okay, okay, but just for a little bit.” 

Tup beams and shifts back into dragon form so he can jump to freedom, skittering over the floor and tapping a paw against Anakin’s leg. Anakin’s not too sure about dragon biology, but Tup isn’t aging like a human baby, which… now that he thinks about it, that might actually make sense. He did hatch from an egg. Sometimes he’s exactly like a baby, crying if he’s not held and wanting milk, but he can already talk and make demands despite being three months old. 

With a huff, Anakin sits down and tries to get Tup interested in a book or something soothing, but the little guy is bouncing around and impossible to settle. He grabs Anakin’s sleeve and shakes his head, growling as he attacks the fabric. His tail lashes, and part of the sleeve starts to rip away. 

“Hey, no, not my clothes,” Anakin says, but Tup takes this as a challenge. “You get that from your other dad.” 

Tup lets go and locks eyes on Anakin’s arm, eyes wide, tailtip twitching in the air. Then he pounces, paws landing squarely on Anakin’s elbow. The kid has good aim. 

Maybe too good, because Anakin feels something in his prosthetic arm pop, and it slides onto the floor with a metallic clatter. “Oops,” he laughs. “There it goes.” 

But Tup, on the other hand, stares at Anakin with tears welling in his eyes, and he lets out a plaintive cry, nuzzling Anakin’s empty sleeve. 

“Oh, buddy, it’s okay, you didn’t hurt me. See?” Anakin wiggles the arm in his other hand to show it’s not actually made of flesh and bone. “It’s fine!” 

Tup looks at Anakin, blinks twice, and then launches into an even louder cry. 

Anakin stifles a bunch of child-inappropriate words, reattaching the arm with a click. It stings like hell, as usual, and he grits his teeth. He gives the fingers a wiggle to make sure they don’t lock up, the servos whirring smoothly in response. “It was just an accident, nobody got hurt. It’s okay, see?” He takes off the glove covering the metal parts and holds out his reattached palm for Tup to sniff. 

Very gently, Tup presses his velvety nose to Anakin’s right hand and snuffles the exposed metal. He shifts into his human form to pat Anakin’s hand. “Papa okay?” he asks softly. 

Anakin’s heart melts a bit more. “Yeah, kiddo, I’m fine.” 

Tup crawls into Anakin’s lap, all feet and elbows, and finally settles down. “Naptime,” Tup explains. 

Anakin kisses the toddler’s dark curls and puts him back in the crib, tucking him in. “Sounds good, buddy. Then Fives and Echo can come and play with us, okay?” 

“Careful careful!” Tup chirps. Then he settles again, little hands tugging at his blanket. 

“Uh-huh. Sorry if I scared you, buddy. I love you.” 

“Love you!” Tup echoes. 

“Now please go to sleep.” 

Tup giggles as the lights go down. 

“So, how was he? Any problems?” Rex asks, trying to take Tup from Anakin. “Hi buddy, I missed you!” But Tup squirms and clings to Anakin’s chest, refusing to let go. “What’s wrong?” 

“ _Buir_ arm okay?” Tup asks solemnly. 

Anakin scratches the back of his head. “We were playing, and my arm might have come off a bit. He’s been asking everyone who tries to hold him that question, uh, just in case.” 

“Anakin,” Rex groans. “My arms are completely fine, Tup _’ika_ , promise.” 

Tup shifts into his dragon shape and pounces on Rex, nuzzling his cheek. 

“I love you too, buddy,” Rex sighs. “And _you_.” He pokes Anakin’s chest. “Keep your arms firmly attached to your body in the future.” 

“Noted, Captain,” Anakin jokes, getting prodded again for his trouble. 

— 

“So these are the little dragons that have made such a big impression on the galaxy,” the Chancellor says, bending down to look at the three assembled before him. 

Wooley, Tup, and Thire look at each other and scramble back towards their respective parents. They haven’t been allowed to stay in their dragon forms because of some safety protocol, and they stumble on unsteady little legs. Cody gets an armful of Wooley, Tup hides behind Rex’s legs, and Thire holds on to Fox’s hand, staring at the ground. 

“Hm, they’re shy,” the Chancellor says with a smile. 

Rex is pissed that none of the Jedi could make here. There was some ridiculous mission the Senate sent them on in the Outer Rim, leaving them without their usual backup. 

“I do hope they get over it before the Senate convenes.” 

Something about the Chancellor’s smile rubs Rex the wrong way, and he puts one hand on Tup’s back protectively. 

Cody says, “I’m sure they will,” and he holds on to Wooley a bit tighter. 

Thire tugs on the edge of Fox’s kama and whispers something to him. Fox picks him up, bouncing him on one hip. 

“They’re very adorable. Aren’t you?” The Chancellor moves closer to Rex like he wants to talk to Tup. 

With a squeak, Tup shifts into his dragon form and clings to Rex’s chest with all four legs. Rex backs away from the Chancellor instinctively, both hands wrapping around Tup. 

All of the Coruscant Guards posted in the room move in, and Fox shoos them backwards with a glare. 

“Sorry, Chancellor, he’s just excited, there’s a lot happening,” Rex says too loudly. “You know how kids are. I’ll take him outside.” 

“Yes, that might be for the best,” the Chancellor replies, backing away a few steps. He watches the both of them with sharp eyes. 

The instant the door closes, Tup shifts back into a human and bursts into tears in Rex’s arms. “I don’t like him!” Tup sobs. “I don’t want to leave you.” 

Rex hurries away from the office a bit faster, just in case someone hears them. “It’s okay, buddy, you don’t have to see him again. And he won’t make you go to Kamino, not if I have anything to say about it.” 

“I don’t want to leave,” Tup whimpers. “Thire said the wrinkle man was creepy. But me and Wooley didn’t believe him, and he’s scary.” 

“What do you mean? He’s the Chancellor,” Rex says. 

“He smells bad. Like how Papa smells, but bad.” Tup refuses to say anything else, trying to hide his face in Rex’s armor. 

Rex does not like the implication that Anakin smells like Chancellor Palpatine. He walks around the Senate building with Tup, reassuring him until he starts to calm down. It takes about an hour, and by then, Rex’s comm is buzzing to let him know he’s appearing in front of the Senate with his son in fifteen minutes. 

“You don’t have to say anything, buddy, they’re going to talk to me and Cody and Fox. And if you do have to say something, I’ll be with you the whole time.” 

Tup sniffles and doesn’t reply. His hair, formerly pulled back in a topknot, is rapidly slipping free, but Rex decides not to fix it. Tup already hates people messing with his hair. 

“Rex! Everything okay?” Cody asks. 

Wooley comes over to Tup and tugs on his arm questioningly. 

“Yeah, we’re fine. Aren’t we?” Rex bounces Tup in his arms and gets a small peep in response. 

“There you are! The Chancellor wouldn’t tell me where you were meeting!” Padmé rushes up to them, one hand on her hairpiece to keep it from moving around. 

“Then how did you find us?” Rex asks. 

“Oh, I had Echo break into the Senate security loop, it was easy. They should probably have someone look at that.” She shrugs. “It’s my idea, and I’m going to damn well be here for it. Also, Anakin was freaking out because he couldn’t be here.” 

“We’re glad you’re on our side,” Cody says, and she gives his arm a squeeze. 

“I hope something comes of this. My _colleagues_ —” she says the word far too primly “—aren’t known for their love of action.” 

The Senate arena yawns in front of them like a canyon, lined on all sides with platforms for each delegation. Light pours in from a vast circular skylight, and the domed ceiling reflects the scuffle and chatter of thousands of senators from all over the Galaxy. 

Tup whimpers and buries his face in Rex’s chest. 

— 

“Senator Amidala, what do you bring to the floor?” the Chancellor asks from his position in one of those hovering bumper cars. His tone says, “What is it this time?” 

Cody is personally of the opinion that the cars look absolutely ridiculous. This whole thing is ridiculous. But here he is, standing in his own floating grey donut. Wooley is practically glued to his side; they’d tried to dress him in a cadet uniform, but Wooley had staunchly refused, and he’s in a pair of grey overalls with a shirt patterned with boats. If people didn’t know better, they might assume he was an ordinary kid. 

Wooley _is_ an ordinary kid. 

“The Clone Army—” A wave of groans sweeps through the Senate, and Amidala scowls. “As you may have seen, the Clone Army has several new recruits. Children.” The focus of the room shifts to the hatchlings. “If they hadn’t been taken in by the other clones, they would have been decommissioned. Or, in plainer terms, sent to die. Now that they’ve survived and proven capable, the Kaminoans are trying to repatriate them to Kamino, in order to train them as soldiers. I believe this is unacceptable, as that would be separating them from their parents and denying them their ability to chose for themselves. I move to make them citizens of the Republic, so they can make their own choices. I hope you will come to see this situation as I do. Commander Cody, father of one of the children, will continue.” She looks over to him. 

_Just pretend it’s another mission briefing_. “Our children—my son included—were deemed ‘unfit for service’ by the rules set forth by the Kaminoan Board of Perfection—” 

“And why, exactly?” a senator interrupts. “They seem serviceable to me.” 

Cody has to suppress the urge to commit a homicide. Their children seem _serviceable_. What kind of fuckery… “Wooley, CT-39-2425, is almost completely deaf; Thire, CC-4477 is missing part of his arm, wing, and tail; but we haven’t been able to get more information on Tup. CT-5385.” 

The three children are abruptly under full scrutiny again. Thire shoves his right hand back into his pocket, and Tup backs up against him and Wooley. All three of them are shaking ever so slightly, and the Chancellor watches with a flinty eye. 

“If we hadn’t kept them, they wouldn’t be here right now. But they’re ours now, and the Kaminoans want to take them back. Make them fight and die.” Cody’s protective instincts well up in his chest, and he moves to protect the group of hatchlings, but they’re in separate pods—he can’t reach them. The realization sends a shudder down his spine. 

Rex is clenching his teeth so hard Cody’s sure he’ll break something, and Fox’s expression has turned to steel. 

“Yours? They aren’t yours.” Palpatine laughs kindly. “They belong to the Senate, just like the rest of you. They should be sent back to Kamino, to fulfill their purpose.” 

Wooley looks up at Cody, about ready to cry, and then turns into his dragon form, jumping in front of Thire and Tup. At first, Cody thinks he’ll growl or snap, but Wooley plops down in the pod, eyes wide and innocent, chirping at the crowd curiously. His head tilts to the side, and his ears flop with the movement. 

A chorus of delighted sounds sweeps through the Senate. 

Oh, that kid is good. Wooley waddles almost comically over to Tup and nuzzles him lovingly, then does the same to Thire. 

“And... on Kamino,” Bail says slowly. “How many little ones like this are there, being trained for war?” 

“Thousands. N—none of them deserve what’s happening to them. ” 

Wooley taps his paw on Thire’s leg, peeping as adorably as he can. He flutters his wings pleadingly, and with a sigh, Thire transforms. He’s the youngest and smallest, a burnt reddish-orange with black and white on his clawed feet. His tail is a small stub, and the part of his right wing that might catch the wind is gone, mirroring his missing fingers. 

Tup gets the idea, shifting into a purple dragon complete with floppy hair and sparkling eyes. The three of them chirp and chitter to each other playfully, and Cody watches as the entire Senate melts, a wave of murmurs sweeping over the crowd. 

Then Cody sees the Chancellor watching, his expression unreadable. 

“Rex, take over for me,” Cody says, and he changes without waiting for an answer. 

While the hatchlings are adorable, as an adult, Cody knows he looks kind of terrifying. His horns curl and branch in strange shapes, he has claws and teeth about the same size as a person, and his whole form is marked with blaster fire. Even the soft light in the Senate chamber sparkles off his scales like they’re made of pure gold. 

Then he rumbles, nuzzling each of the babies in turn, and they peep happily, stretching up to nuzzle him back. 

Cody sniffs the air and flicks his ears back. There _is_ a strange smell in the air, like Tup mentioned. The scent is similar to the one that follows all Force users (apples and fudge), but corrupted and rotten. Cody recognizes it instantly, from the times he’s fought Dooku and Ventress—it’s the smell of the Dark side. He curls his tail around the assembled hatchlings, struggling not to growl. The little ones have no idea what’s happening and chitter to him again, pawing at his side. 

“Uh,” Rex says, panicked, looking to Padmé for support. 

“These children should be allowed to stay with their parents. And moreover, training these children for war, to _die_ , isn’t right. We should have known without even having to think it, but we wanted an easy solution to this war, and when one appeared, we didn’t question it.” 

Wooley chirps a soft “Mrra?” and in general looks like an adorable child. 

The Chancellor scoffs. “What are you suggesting, Senator Amidala? How will we defend the safety and security Republic without the noble sacrifice of clones like the ones before us? Are you suggesting we give in to the Separatists?” 

This draws a titter from some of the assembled senators. 

“It’s not noble if they don’t have a choice.” Padmé has steel in her voice. “How can we say we stand for truth, justice, and democracy if we’re forcing millions of people to die for our peace of mind? If we’re casting them aside the instant they aren’t useful?” 

Senator Amidala is far too good for General Skywalker. Cody once saw Skywalker eat a ration bar right off the floor. 

“We—we just want to be a part of the society we’re defending. Right now, we aren’t even citizens. We’re property. All we want is the most basic of rights.” Rex can’t stop himself from looking at Tup and Wooley and Thire, who deserve all the rights. 

Cody holds his breath and watches for the crowd’s reaction. 

— 

So Palpatine’s plans might have been thrown off a little, itty-bitty, teensy-tinsy, really very minuscule bit. It’s still salvageable, though. It’s always salvageable. 

After the disastrous vote to give the clones their rights, Palpatine arranges to meet the Commander alone in his office. This proves somewhat difficult, but he does manage it. 

Then he says the golden phrase. 

“Commander Cody, execute order sixty-six.” 

Cody’s eyes glaze over, and he shifts into his dragon form, roaring loud enough to shake the room. His wings break through the walls and ceiling, and his tail lashes, breaking all the windows in a single motion. When he straightens his neck, his horns gouge the ruins of the formerly very nice tile ceiling, and white dust rains down on the room. 

Palpatine can’t help but smile; what could a Jedi do against an army of enraged dragons? 

Then he notices Cody’s gaze locking on him, pupils widening so his golden eyes appear completely black. 

What kind of… 

The dumb dragon thinks _he’s_ a Jedi. 

Palpatine scowls and pushes back, telling the Commander to go back and murder his Jedi. 

For his trouble, Palpatine gets the strangest feeling in reply. Evidently, he smells like the Force. 

“No! No, you idiot!” Palpatine snaps. If he dies, then the whole thing will come apart—only he can give orders through the chips, and once he’s dead, the chips stop working too. As if Palpatine would trust anyone else with control over the clones’ orders. And that idiot Skywalker never agreed to become a Sith apprentice. “Not me, the Jedi!” 

The golden dragon unhinges his jaws, and Palpatine feels a burst of heat and light unlike anything he’s ever known before, and then nothing. 

— 

“I still can’t believe Cody figured out that the Chancellor was the Sith Master by _smelling him_.” Skywalker wrinkles his nose. “I would _not_ want to get that close.” 

“Well, Tup smelled him first,” Obi-Wan chimes in. 

“My son is naturally inquisitive,” Skywalker snaps defensively. 

Obi-Wan shakes his head. “In the end, Cody and Tup’s senses of smell brought the war to a swifter end than any weapon could.” 

“Yeah. I’m kind of embarrassed I didn’t consider it before. I think he—he was trying to get me to become his apprentice? He kept talking about ways of power only he knew, and Darth Plagueis the Wise, and whatever. And he kept insinuating stuff about you and Padmé, which was nuts, and telling me about how shitty the Jedi Council was for not making me a master, and trying to drive a wedge between me and you...” Skywalker trails off, realizing he might be digging himself into a hole. 

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan smacks his arm. “You never said anything about that!” 

“Well, I was busy with a whole entire child! Pardon me for putting Tup first. I didn’t have a lot of time to think about how weird the Chancellor was being.” 

“Nice try, but I still have the high ground. I _told_ you to be wary of him, and Palpatine was a whole entire Sith Lord!” 

“I didn’t _know_! Nobody knew!” he protests. 

“It’s true, we all should have known. But you especially! He offered to teach you the ways of the Sith in exactly those words, from what it sounds like!” 

“I mean—it wasn’t—I didn’t actually—ugh, arguing with you is the worst!” 

Obi-Wan starts to smile wickedly. “Only because I’m always right. If only you’d listen to me, you’d have a much easier time of things.” 

“Oh, get fucked.” 

“I think I shall. Cody?” Obi-Wan looks over at Cody, who gives him a saucy wink. 

“Augh!” Skywalker covers his ears, not looking at either of them. “Obi-Wan!” 

“Something the matter? I’m merely following your sage advice.” 

“I hate you so much. You’re the worst.” 

“Good night, Anakin.” Obi-Wan laughs as he leaves, and Cody allows himself to be tugged along by his shirt. 

When they’re alone together, Obi-Wan lets go. “Have you thought about what you’d like to do with your newfound freedom? Or who you’d like to do?” 

“Idiot,” Cody says affectionately. “You know exactly what my plans are, Mr. Kenobi.” 

— 

Tup clings to Rex’s foot with all four paws. 

“Hey, it’s fine. If you fall, one of us will catch you.” Anakin pats the kid’s head. 

“Good luck!” Padmé calls. She’s a little upset that she isn’t going with them, but Anakin’s a bit iffy on bringing her to a slippery, rocky waterfall while she’s eight months pregnant. Feels like asking for trouble. 

Rex nods and picks Anakin up too, taking off in a rush of air. The ground shrinks beneath them, and the rolling green landscape of the Naboo Lake Country stretches out to the horizon. 

Tup squeals, claws digging into Rex’s scales, and then chirps happily, stretching his head out and closing his eyes. 

“Yeah, cool, right?” Anakin waves to Tup from Rex’s other hand. 

Rex tilts a wing and flies them over to the closest waterfall; not the tallest one, but a good two hundred feet. He sets Anakin and Tup down on the damp rocks. 

The kid blinks, looking up at Rex quizzically. With a huff, Rex nudges Tup towards the edge, and Tup squawks, scrambling backwards. 

Rex spreads his wings and jumps, flapping twice to cross the pool below the waterfall and landing on the shore with a thud. 

Tup clings to Anakin and damn near shakes with fear. 

“See, _Buir_ did it, and now he’s waiting for you.” 

With a rustle of his scales, Tup turns back into a human. “No!!!” he cries, tears already welling in his eyes. “It’s _scary_.” 

“I know, but you can fly! And _Buir_ and I will catch you if anything happens. Remember how fun it was to fly with _Buir_?” 

Tup sniffles, rubbing at his face. “Do you promise you’ll catch me?” he asks after a minute. 

“I promise.” Anakin holds out his pinky to shake. 

Tup giggles and agrees, then immediately flips out again when he sees the waterfall, clinging to Anakin’s leg with a panicked squawk. 

Rex hops back up to the top of the fall and nuzzles Tup with his snout. Then he shifts so he can say, “Yeah, it’s scary. My _buir_ tossed me off a cliff to teach me how to fly, I know it’s scary.” 

“He did what?” Tup asks with wide eyes. “Is that okay?” 

“No, but people are always tossing me off cliffs anyway, kiddo.” Rex shoots an angry glance at Anakin. “But that’s how I learned. I told myself I wouldn’t do that to any of my children, though. So if you’re not ready, we can come back another day.” 

Tup looks at the waterfall again, chewing on his lip. “You’ll catch me if I fall?” 

“Always.” 

“I’ll try it once. Just... just once.” Tup shifts into dragon form again, nibbling at Rex’s hand. 

“Alright, kiddo.” He drops a kiss on Tup’s head and flies back down to the shore. 

Tup shuffles to the edge of the cliff. His little wings spread, a pale and luminous violet in the sunlight, and his toes curl around the rocky outcropping. 

“I’ll jump with you, if you want,” Anakin offers. 

Tup chirps and nudges Anakin’s hand, pushing him away from the edge. Then he makes the tiniest noise of regret and jumps. 

Anakin immediately panics, heart thumping in his chest as his son plummets like a rock. Oh fuck, this was a bad idea! Fuck, fuck, fuck— 

Then Tup’s wings flare out, and he glides gently down to Rex. He gives a little flap and bounces up in the air a bit. 

Rex turns into a human and catches Tup as he approaches the ground. 

Anakin’s heart stops trying to kill him. he jumps after Tup, using the Force to stop his fall. 

Tup giggles and hugs both his dads at the same time. “I want ice cream as a reward.” 

“Hm, what do we think?” Rex asks Anakin. 

“Well, he did do a good job,” Anakin says. “Okay, ice cream it is.” 

Rex stands up with Tup in his arms. “We’re proud of you.” 

Tup smiles shyly at the praise. 

“Come on, let’s go find Mom Padmé. I know she’s going to want in on the ice cream.” 

— 

“Are you sure you won’t get cold?” Obi-Wan frets, fussing with Wooley’s hat. 

“ _Buir_ ,” Wooley whines. He ducks away from Obi-Wan and shifts into dragon form; he’s already so big, his wingspan nearly fifteen feet wide. He bonks Obi-Wan’s chest with his forehead, scales sparkling in the afternoon light. 

“He’s a dragon, he’ll be fine,” Cody says for the fifth time. “Come on, let’s go.” He shifts too, picking Wooley up like a kitten and carrying him outside. 

Wooley allows this temporarily. He’s old enough to find a problem with it, even though he still has his baby chub, and he wriggles to show his dissatisfaction. 

Cody tilts to the side, one wing curling in so he can offer Obi-Wan a ride too. Obi-Wan leaps up delicately and sits side-saddle on the dragon’s back, said dragon being too large to sit on any other way. Even through all the winter gear, he can feel the cozy warmth of Cody’s scales, and he leans against Cody’s neck. 

Cody pads out of the hangar and into the snow; the wind nips at Obi-Wan’s exposed face, and he’s glad for Cody’s warmth. Wooley, however, can’t wait to start exploring, and he chirps his displeasure at being held. 

With a huff, Cody drops Wooley into the snow. 

The dragonet’s eyes widen to saucers, legs splaying out as he vanishes into the white fluff, leaving behind a comically dragon-shaped hole. After a moment of silence, Wooley pops back up with a happy squeal. Only his head and the very tip of his tail are visible as he tromps through the snow. 

Obi-Wan pats Cody’s back and jumps into the snow too. With a bit of Force energy, he lands lightly without leaving so much as a dent in the snow. 

Cody shakes his wings out, the light shimmering golden off the surface, and bounds after Wooley, who’s already vanishing into the distance, peeping loudly the whole way. 

When they go back inside, hours later, they’re all exhausted. Until Obi-Wan mentions hot chocolate, and then Wooley scampers around the kitchen again, energy renewed by the mere idea of sugar. 

They curl up together in Cargo Bay 12, long since converted into a giant pit of blankets and pillows, filled with other assorted clones. Wooley drapes himself over Cody and Obi-Wan’s laps, tailtip tapping on the pillows. His eyes blink sleepily, and he purrs as he leans against them, showing his tummy. 

Obi-Wan pats Wooley’s belly, then kisses Cody’s cheek. 

“So. This is what it’s like, having a family.” Cody rests one hand on his son’s head. 

“I imagine so.” Neither of them grew up conventionally, and Wooley certainly hasn’t broken the pattern, having spent most of his life aboard a warship. But, for now, life feels normal. 

“I never thought I could, but the more I think about it, I could get used to...” He waves a hand to indicate the day. “You know.” 

Obi-Wan smiles, leaning against Cody’s shoulder. “Me too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Palpatine is the lucky winner of our Minor Character Death prize! Come on down, chancellor! 
> 
> —
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed all the dragon shenanigans :3 May inspiration for your next endeavours strike!
> 
> —
> 
> Edit: Part 4 has been posted! Click on the series title to find it if you’re interested :>


End file.
